Skip to main content

Drum Camp


Anna Mudeka

Back to work after a seriously chilled out weekend at Drum Camp, a small-scale WOMAD in Bungay, Suffolk. The festival was a refreshing change from the usual frenzied affairs; intimate workshops with world-class musicians such as Modou Diouf and Nansady Keita and a truly eclectic mix of evening performances at the Main Stage, from flamenco to bhangra with can-can dancers in between!

As I don't have a musical bone in my body I planned to simply soak up the vibe and enjoy the live music. But the constant drum beats were infectious and it's almost impossible not to pick up one of the many varieties of drums lying around and join in.

So I decided to attend an Indian Dhol workshop with the Dhol Foundation and attempt to learn some bhangra rhythms. The Dhol is a traditional North Indian instrument made from a large wooden shell. It has two skins on either side which are made from goat hide. Rope is then woven through the edge of both the skins and they are tensioned to produce a bass and treble sound. It is extremely loud and is played with sticks made from cane.

You need to be seriously skilled to play the Dhol and strong too as they are so huge and heavy. Johnny Kalsi (previously from The Afro Celt Sound System) led the workshop and brought real humour to the experience, dubbing our rhythms as 'too English' and got us drumming in a more Asian tempo. It did not come naturally but there were a few moments when it sounded vaguely like Bhangra!

The Dhol's Foundation's Saturday evening performance with a full 12-piece band was the highlight of the whole event and a dramatic, frenetic end to the festival. Their performance shows the multifaceted ways in which the dhol can be incorporated into different genres of music, not only Indian, but African, Celtic, Spanish and even electronica. One to watch.


Modou Diouf and Blake Vickers

The charismatic Modou Diouf led several Sabar workshops and also performed with a Tama, or talking drum, which makes incredible machine gun like rhythms. Binta Badjie provided a powerfully mesmerising dance accompaniment.

Amazing that Gary Newland, the event organiser, has managed to keep this event running for 11 years without it becoming too big. I do hope it stays that way as I plan to return next year to learn the djembe.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yaly Couture

15th March 2005 HOI AN Staying at Ancient House Resort on Cua Dia, a small boutique hotel with spacious, immaculate and stylish rooms. Can imagine that this would be a good place for honeymooners, as the service is discreet and the gardens and pool are beautiful. Got an upgrade on the second day to a room with a balcony so I can now sit outside and write, which is a marked improvement. I get free bike rental here so I’ve been out exploring. Riding a bike after so long and in Asia was a thrilling experience. Make me think how much quicker I could get about and see so much more. Today I cycled off the beaten track for a good 2 hours until I came to a boatyard where I pulled up for a refreshing drink. Don’t think these people see many white faces round here. I was drinking alone then suddenly there were about 15 faces staring at me. Curiosity got the better of one old man who hopped on his moped and escorted me down the road! I noticed that even this far out, huge speakers blast out propa
Post a Comment
Read more

Our Daily Bread and Workingman's Death

News from a few film buff friends of mine in Australia of two good documentaries viewed at Melbourne Film Festival. Our Daily Bread is a film that enters the lurid world of industrial food production and high-tech farming. Not for the faint-hearted apparently, as about a third of the audience walked out. Bound to send ripples through the industry once it gets released at the London Film Festival this September. View Our Daily Bread website here Workingman's Death explores heavy manual labour in the 21st century - down illegal mines in the Ukraine, among the sulfur workers in Indonesia, with lions at a slaughterhouse in Nigeria, ship breaking yards in Pakistan, and Chinese steel workers. Looks like amazing cinematography. View Workingman's Death website here
2 comments
Read more

The new rocket fuel

Just returned from two weeks in London, where I've been freelancing for a specialist provider of financial information on the renewable and clean energy industries worldwide. The work has given me a clearer picture of the technology being developed to support the growing interest and funding being directed at the sector. No more is this evident than in the NEX, a global index, which tracks the performance of 'companies worldwide whose technologies and services focus on the generation and use of renewable energy, conservation and efficiency, and advancement of low-carbon energy solutions.' A quarterly update on the performance of the NEX shows a gain of 25.3% in the first quarter of 2006. An increased interest from investors and the effects of rising oil and gas prices have contributed to this rise. The best performing sector was biofuels, biomass and waste-to-energy sector. Ethanol and biodiesel could well be the fuels of the future. My rocket fuel has been provided by the
3 comments
Read more